DCP commissioner recommends new medical marijuana conditions

On Wednesday, June 7, the Board of Physicians met to discuss five (5) petitions to add new conditions to the Medical Marijuana Program. The Board took votes and made recommendations to the Commissioner. Today, Commissioner Michelle H. Seagull notified the Board of Physicians of her decision regarding which conditions DCP will seek to add to the list of debilitating conditions through the regulation process.

“The Board of Physicians always provides thorough and valuable advice to our team. I want to thank the Board for the time they invest, and for their guidance. I will be following the recommendations of the Board as we move into the regulation drafting process,” said Consumer Protection Commissioner Michelle H. Seagull, “I also want to thank those who testified for their bravery, and for telling their stories on Wednesday. We know our program is at its best when we hear from the medical community, and from patients whose lives can be improved by this medication.”

The Board’s recommendations are listed below:

Recommended by the Board of Physicians:

Hydrocephalus with intractable headache

Intractable migraines

Trigeminal neuralgia

Not recommended by the Board of Physicians:

Anxiety disorders

Menieres disease

After DCP drafts a regulation to add the conditions, there will be an additional public hearing and comment period. The regulation then will be reviewed by the Office of the Attorney General, and ultimately require the approval of the Regulation Review Committee of the General Assembly.

Those who wish to petition the Board of Physicians may visit DCP’s website here for the process, and any questions may be directed via email to dcp.mmp@ct.gov.

There currently are 18,379 medical marijuana patients, and 697 certifying physicians registered with the state’s program. Today, there are 22 conditions that qualify adult patients for medical marijuana, and 6 conditions that qualify patients under 18. The Board of Physicians consists of 9 members found here.